Echoing trends in the rest of Europe, elections in Norway saw an anti-immigration party, the Progress Party, surge in support, doubling its share of the vote compared to the previous election.

The Labour Party emerged as the single-biggest party, with 28.2% of the vote and 53 seats in the 169-seat Storting. Labour improved on its 2021 showing and has positioned Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre well to lead a new government.

Voter turnout rose to 78.9%, the highest in years.

The Progress Party saw its vote share double to 24%, giving it 48 seats. It will likely be the biggest opposition party in the Norwegian parliament.

However, if Labour can secure the support of four smaller centre-left parties, it will likely be able to secure a majority in the Storting.

The Conservatives, long Norway’s main centre-right party, slipped to 14.6%. Their leader, former prime minister Erna Solberg, acknowledged the defeat and indicated she is unlikely to contest another election.

Meanwhile, Støre, addressing jubilant Labour supporters, said the result showed that “even though right-wing forces were on the rise in Europe, social democrat parties could still win elections.”

While the campaign began with debates over Gaza and Ukraine, it closed on domestic concerns, including rising living costs, the future of Norway’s oil sector, and reforms to the wealth tax that have driven some citizens to relocate to Switzerland. Coalition negotiations are expected to take weeks, with divisions among Labour’s potential allies on oil policy and the role of the country’s $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund likely to prove contentious.

The leap in the Progress Party’s support shows that the wave of support for the populist right in much of Europe is unlikely to abate.